Israel Threatens to 'Escalate Response' against Syrian Regime

The Israeli attack is the latest in a string of similar moves that have targeted Syrian military posts on the pretext that the targeted areas contain Hezbollah-bound weapons.

"The IDF holds the Syrian regime responsible for any aggression from within its territory, and will not tolerate any attacks threatening the Israeli sovereignty and the safety of its civilians", the army said. "Whether errant fire or not, any future occurrences will force the Israel Defense Forces to intensify its response", it said.

At around 5:00 A.M. on Saturday morning, five rockets from Syria landed in the Golan.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the worldwide community.

Israel fired back into Syria, hitting three rocket launchers, in response to the rocket fire, and warned that further fire would prompt a more intensive response.

During Syria's more than six-year-old conflict, Israel has returned fire across the border, including stray shells from fighting among Syrian combatants.

It charged that the terrorist groups fired the mortars in coordination with Israel to justify the latter's aggression on military posts in Syria.

The Syrians previously issued similar threats, but have very little ability to carry through with them, as the army is still embroiled in a vicious civil war which has significantly depleted the army's resources and abilities.

On Monday, Israeli aircraft fired at an anti-aircraft missile battery unusually deep in Syrian territory. "We will continue to act in the arena as much as needed to defend Israel's security". Syria filed a complaint with the secretary of the United Nations over the incident.